‘[Go] behind the glamorous shop fronts and the glitzy shop floors of Britain’s department stores... Here the hidden history is revealed.’ Saga Magazine
Meet the shopgirls and hear their incredible true stories of life behind the counter.
In this lively and colourful history, we join shopgirl Chili Bouchier on her journey from the small ladies’ department at Harrods to star of the silver screen, and experience the raw courage of John Lewis’ Miss Austin during the Blitz in the West End. We follow Margaret Bondfield as she goes undercover, fiercely championing the rights of her fellow shopgirls; and stand alongside the impoverished interwar chain store assistants who stole stockings to supplement their meagre wages. And we celebrate with the art school entrepreneurs who kick-started the boutique movement of the swinging ’60s and made the shop floor their own.
Here, these wonderful tales of friendship, hardship and triumph are revealed as never before.
For fans of nostalgic history and memoir, including Call the Midwife; Mollie Moran's Aprons and Silver Spoons; and The Sugar Girls
Publisher: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9780099594680
Number of pages: 336
Weight: 311 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 23 mm
Packed with riveting detail, a more absorbing collection of tales from the spirited shopgirls of the Victorian era to the present day would be hard to find. - Daily Mail
Rich in surprising insight and human detail . . . endless[ly] fascinating . . highly readable - Lucy Lethbridge, Observer
Fascinating and addictive... A profusion of lively material includes the Wodehousian yarn of future Hollywood star "Chilli" Bouchier. - Independent
[Go] behind the glamorous shop fronts and the glitzy shop floors of Britain’s department stores . . . Here the hidden history of the unsung heroines of the retail trade is revealed. - Saga Magazine
As packed with good things as the Peter Jones sale - Daily Telegraph
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